Knitted fabric linking machines



March 10, 1970 J. P. FLAQUE 3,49

KNITTED FABRIC LINKING MACHINES Filed Nov. 12, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 INVENTOR JMA/ AMA A HAO!!! ATTORNEYS United States Patent Int. or. nose 7/00 US. Cl. 112-25 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement in a knitted fabric linking machine having a supporting base plate with a column supporting a rotatable crown thereon and a chair for an operator positioned closely adjacent the crown so that the operator can accurately control the operation of the machine with a minimum of effort.

This invention relates to improvements in knitted fabric linking machines aimed at obtaining maximum simplicity of the machine itself, and to attain the minimum exer tion required from the person or persons operating same.

For this purpose, the operating crown together with the points, the needles and the span that bears the elements that realize the linking, are all rotatable or gyratable at the will of the operator and without hindrance whatever from his or her fixed chair, and without leaving same, while the space in front of the operators legs beneath the annular tray is perfectly free and unencumbered.

The machine comprises a fixed circular base plate with no other protuberance than that of the operators pedal; a support projecting upwardly and radially outwardly from the side of the base plate holds a comfortable chair while a vertical, square and rigid column extends upwardly from the opposite side to a convenient height. A horizontal arm is secured to the upper end of the column and projects at 90 degrees therefrom and on whose extremity is fixed the linking machine supported by and rotatable or gyratable on a vertical shaft under the complete and unhindered control of the operator seated in the aforementioned chair.

The aforementioned operating pedal, through a system of articulated levers beneath the circular base plate, raises or lowers a vertically displaceable shaft within the said rigid column, together with a vertical shaft electric motor mounted on the upper extremity of said displaceable shaft, while a cone-shaped extension from the upper end of the motor shaft is engaged within a frictioned lined coupling constituting a speed variator to vary the speed of a pulley coupled thereto, which pulley by means of an endless belt transmits its movement to the gyratory shaft of the linking machine through a pulley solidly fixed thereto, while the whole of the assembly of said machine with the knitting mechanism arm may be turned by hand as working conditions require, so that at the same time that the operator is freely threading meshes, the operating arm displaced by 180 degrees continues linking at the speed chosen by the pressure of the operators foot on the pedal,

from which it will be seen that the linking machine may be gyrating on its shaft, independently of and simultaneously with the collocation of the meshes of the fabric onto the points of the crown.

The crown points are arranged inclined in the direction of the operators line of vision, in order to facilitate the collocation of the meshes of the fabric with the operator in a normal seated position.

The crown is characterized by its continuous gyration, and may be easily declutched by means of a handwheel due to spring pressure, while the to and fro movement is synchronized with the continued rotation of the points crown.

The fabric is held by a prolonged tappet provided with a hole for the passage of the needle, and prevents same from moving off and leaving the crown upon penetration of the needle, thus ensuring exact mesh formation.

The electric motor that drives the machine is housed in the upper part of the vertical column and is moved or controlled by a pedal that raises or lowers the vertical shaft whose upper extremity is solidly fixed to the bottom bracket of the motor, the frame of the motor being provided with vertical guide bars that slide in holes in lugs projecting from a back cover of the column, which cover may be removed to give access to said motor when necessary for repairs.

The aforementioned vertical shaft that sustains the motor, passes through guide hole in lugs projecting from the inside of the vertical column, while a very long spring spirally covering said vertical shaft between the two lower guide lugs thereof, compensates the weight of the electric motor mounted on the upper extremity of said shaft.

The machine furnished with these improvements, sews with one or two threads in such a manner that the thread is locked by the anchor passing over the needle, while the penetration of the thread through the wales of the fabric is effected by means of a straight needle that enters by the interior of the crown, while the anchoring thread is linked on the exterior of the crown; or the operation may be effected in the inverse order, by penetrating the needle through the wales of the fabric from the exterior of the points crown, with the cams that provoke the movements of the anchor situated in the interior of the machine, in order to provide the same necessary movements for the linking of the wales.

For sewing with one or two threads, the crochet is changed for the type required for either class of sewing or linking.

A circular reflector is held by an adequate support at theupper part of the headstock, for illuminating uniformly the whole of the working zone of the crown, while a circular tray is provided beneath the crown for holding the fabric under operation.

The linking mechanism itself is driven from the cupshaped portion of a friction clutch, which portion is lined on the inside working surface with friction material, against which a friction cone extension of the upper extremity of the vertical spindle motor works, whose height is varied by the movement of the vertical supporting shaft in response to the pressure of the operators foot on the pedal, thus providing a smooth and straight-line speed variation of the machine.

The shaft from the cup-shaped portion of the friction clutch is articulated in an automatic gear train, whose outgoing shaft is provided with a driving pulley at the center thereof, for an endless belt coupled to another but driven pulley fixed to the upper extremity of the central shaft of the linking machine mechanism, suspended from the end of a rigid horizontal arm extending at degrees from the vertical column confronting the operators chair, on the base plate of the machine.

Just where the main operating shaft of the linking headstock of the machine emerges from the above-mentioned rigid horizontal arm, a horizontal operating arm of the linking headstock extends, at whose extremity actuates the device for raising and lowering the needle bar through an endless belt drive from a pulley fixed to the main operating shaft, onto a tubular body at the upper portion thereof, whose central and interior portions are provided with eccentrics.

The main operating shaft carries a handwheel fixed to its lower end in order to move the crown by hand after declutching same from the driving mechanism.

A synchronizing mechanism is provided on the inside lateral part of the crown comprising a vertical shaft whose lower extremity is fitted with another handwheel for turning the crown through a pinion fixed to the upper extremity of said shaft, which pinion engages with an interior crown wheel of the points, said shaft being provided with a cup-shaped wheel with radial isosceles teeth at its border solidly fixed to a worm wheel for an endless screw. A flange solidly fixed to its shaft beneath the cupshaped wheel, is provided with a coaxial slot in which slides a trinquet pivot pin, terminating in a conical point to penetrate in one of the isosceles teeth, thus providing the required synchronism between the points and the needles.

The trinquet pivot shaft is solidly fixed to a long bush whose lower extremity is solidly connected to the aforementioned handwheel, this assembly being pushed upward by a spiral spring situated within the supporting bush, so that when the operator pulls the handwheel downward, the trinquet pivot is drawn downwardly and the conical point abandons the respective isosceles tooth thus allowing the handwheel to be turned in order to situate the points crown in the desired position.

A cam in the shaft of the worm screw presses against a roller at the end of an articulated lever under spiral spring pressure, the other end of said lever havlng a rebate that engages with the flange of a freely gyratable sleeve solidly fixed to the supporting bush, said engagement fixing the bush and disengaging the trinquet point thus allowing the shaft to gyrate, following the gyration of the worm wheel by the worm screw, with the cupshaped isoceles toothed wheel.

The worm screw shaft is driven by two bevel gears, the driving gear with teeth cut at 45 degrees and solidly fixed to the main shaft of the linking mechanism, such arrangement assuring exact synchronization of the needle with regard to the position of the points.

In order to better explain these improvements two sheets of drawings are included herewith, showing one case of realization of this invention as an example only.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a partially sectioned side elevation of a linking machine, with the base plate, the vertical column and the horizontal arm rigidly fixed thereto at 90 degrees shown in section, from which arm the hnking mechanism hangs showing also the operators chair facing the column with the intervening space completely free, and the operating pedal projecting from the base plate, by means of which, the varying pressure exerted thereon by the operators foot, produces the required speed of the machine.

FIGURE 2 shows a top view of the chair, the operating pedal and a section of the bottom of the vertical column.

FIGURE 3 shows a cross-sectional elevation of the linking mechanism pertaining to the linking machine.

Referring to the figures, 1 represents the base plate; 2 shows the fixed chair for the operator; 3 represents the operating pedal articulated from the base plate 1; 4 shows the vertical square and rigid column; 5 represents the vertically movable shaft moved by the pedal 3 through the horizontal articulated levers; 6 represents the long spiral spring covering the lower portion of the shaft 5 to compensate the weight of the motor; 7 shows the guide lugs for the vertical shaft 5; 8 shows the motor that drives the machine; 9 shows the two vertical bars solidly fixed to the motor frame and guided by the holes in the two lugs 10 which form part of the cover 11 situated adequately at the back of the vertical column 4; 12 shows the cone solidly fixed to the upper extension of the vertical motor shaft, which cone makes contact with the interior of the articulated cup-shaped portion 13, said interior being lined with a friction material to assist the clutching action of the cone 12, constituting a variable speed clutch for the linking mechanism according to the position of the pedal as moved by the operator to produce a smooth straight line speed variation; 14, an automatic oscillating gearing, whose vertical shaft 15 running in two ball bearings carries a fixed pulley 16 that drives an endless belt 17 through the rigid horizontal arm 18 fixed to the vertical column 4, the belt in turn driving a pulley 19 made fast to the vertical shaft 20 representing the main central shaft of the machine; 21 shows the horizontal arm of the gyratory portion of the machine, the interior of said arm housing the belt transmission from the main shaft 20 to the needle device situated in the elbow end 22; wherein 23 is the needle carrier support; 24 shows the circular reflector containing a luminous focus 25 which illuminates the whole of the crown zone where the work is realized wherein 26 represents the conical cylindrical support that holds the cylindrical body of the crown 27 whose lower extremity comprises the annular curved tray 28 for holding the fabric in process; wherein 29 shows the handwheel fixed to the lower end of the main central shaft 20 for moving the machine by hand when the latter is declutched in order to duly locate the different operating devices; 30 shows the handwheel by which the crown is freely moved constituting the synchronizing mechanism, as the will of the operator, of the points and the needle wherein also 31 shows a pulley fixed to the upper part of the main central shaft 20 which drives an endless belt 32, all situated within the horizontal arm 21, the whole being gyratory together with the linking mechanism assembly; wherein 33 shows a pulley solidly fixed to a tubular body 34 that gyrates on the shaft 35, said body 34 comprising an eccentric 36 at its center which produces the oscillation of the vertical shaft 37 around the shaft 38 due to the roller 39 pressed by the spring 44, which is transformed into a rising and falling movement of the crochet by 40, the lower eccentric 34 which makes contact with the roller 41 causing the lateral displacement of the crochet itself 42; wherein 43 a prolonged tappet for holding the fabric against the points and provided with a hole for the passage of the needle, prevents the fabric from leaving the crown while holding it at its precise position in order to assure exact mesh formation; wherein 45 a balland-socket eccentric produces the longitudinal displacement of the needle 46; showing 47 the lower eccentric that produces the lateral displacement of the needle by the radial oscillation of the roller 48; wherein 49, the pinion solidly fixed to the main central shaft 20, and 50 the other pinion solidly fixed to the horizontal shaft of the work screw, both pinions bevelled at 45 degrees, and said worm screw being situated behind the corresponding toothed crown wheel 51 freely gyratable on the vertical shaft 52, beneath which crown wheel 51 a cup-shaped wheel 53 is solidly fixed with isosceles teeth between which a vertical pivot 54 penetrates, provided with a conical point that actuates between said teeth like a pawl; wherein 55 a flange solidly fixed to the shaft 52 provided with a coaxial slot through which the pivot 54 may slide, solidly fixed to the bush 56, said shaft 52 being provided at its lower extremity with a fixed handwheel 30, the whole assembly being pushed by a spiral spring 57 within the bush 56 and against the shaft 52 so that when the handwheel is pulled downward, the pivot 54 is withdrawn, whose conical point leaves the respective tooth of the wheel 53 thus allowing the handwheel 30 to be turned to correctly situate the points crown in the required position; wherein 58 the horizontal shaft of the worm screw that actuates the wheel 51, in whose extremity is provided a cam 59 against which an intermobile lever 60 presses that ends with a slot 61 which engages with a wing or flange 62 provided with a freely gyratable bush or sleeve solidly fixed to the bush 56; wherein 63 represents the pinion solidly fixed to the upper extremity of is geared with the interior toothed crown wheel 64 pertain the vertical shaft 52 of this synchronizing device, which ing to the points crown body itself 65, in order to provoke its gyration by means of the interior handwheel 30, while the trinquet pawl 54 assures the necessary synchronism; and wherein 66 shows the support solidly fixed to the cylindrical body of the crown 27 for holding the synchronizing device.

More particularly, with the motor in an unclutched condition, upon pulling the handwheel 30 downward, the flange 55 is disconnected and the stepped down extremity 61 engages with the wing 62, whereby the toothed crown 27 becomes free and may be turned at will by hand and is declutched when the hollow portion of the cam 59 is in contact with its roller coinciding with the position of the needle at the extreme outside away from the points, and upon starting up the machine again, the cam releases the lever 60 from the wing 62 which now slides upward, the whole assembly being pushed by the action of the spiral spring 57 while the pawl 54 enters by its point into the space bet-ween the two corresponding teeth, thus effecting the correct synchronization of the point of the needle with the points of the crown, and in this manner avoiding the striking of same against the bronze ring and possible deterioration, while the linking operation is then reestablished, and consecutively at each stoppage and successive starting up of the machine.

The invention may be realized in other forms from that herein indicated, using any adequate materials and of any form or size, all of which shall be covered by the protection afforded to the following claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An improvement in a knitted fabric linking machine comprising a supporting base plate, a chain mounted on said base plate, a vertical column mounted on said base plate opposite said chair, said column having a horizontal arm secured to the upper end thereof and extending laterally therefrom toward said chair, a hand rotary assembly secured to the free end of said arm, said hand rotary assembly comprising a needle carrier support and a point carrying crown, said arm having a vertical shaft rotatably secured thereto and supporting said crown for rotational movement, guide means mounted on said column and supporting an electric motor for vertical movement, foot pedal operated means secured to said base plate for controlling the vertical movement of said motor, a clutch having a rotatable and vertically movable input member and a fixed output member rotatably supported on said column, said input member being secured to the output of said motor, means drivingly connecting said output member of said clutch to said vertical shaft supporting said crown to thereby drive same, said driving being controlled by the engagement of said input member of said clutch with said output member of said clutch; whereby an operator of said machine may control said engagement of said members of said clutch and thereby control said crown while maintaining synchronization in the linking operation and the collocation of the fabric meshes on the crown.

2. An improvement in knitted fabric linking machines, comprising a supporting base plate, on which is mounted a fixed chair for the operator diametrically opposite to a vertical rigid column mounted also thereon, the upper extremity of said column being bent over at right angles, from which is suspended the freely hand gyratory assembly consisting of the carrier arm of the anchor or needle and point carrier crown, said crown precisely facing the operator in order to facilitae its manual operation; comprising also a horizontal rigid arm from whose opposite extremity the linking machine itself projects downward which may freely gyrate on its vertical shaft at the convenience of the operator, independently of its proper linking work; comprising also an operating pedal that projects from the base plate, by means of which through a multiple articulation of levers, the vertical shaft housing in the column is displaced, an electric motor being fitted to the upper extremity of the vertical shaft whose weight is compensated by a long spiral spring wound loosely around the lower portion of said shaft between two lower guide lugs that guide the shaft, said lugs being fixed to the back wall of the vertical column, said motor being provided with vertical guide bars solid with said motor frame or carcass, which bars slide in holes in lugs that form part of a back cover; also comprising a cone, a solidly fixed to the upper extremity of the vertical motor shaft, which cone makes contact with the interior of a cupshaped articulated piece whose interior surface is covered with frictional material to assure the gripping between the cone and the cup-shaped piece; comprising also a train of gearing of automatic oscillation by means of a spring; comprising also a vertical shaft running in two ball bearings, the center of the shaft having mounted thereon solidly a pulley from which an endless belt drives the pulley that is solidly fixed to the main center shaft that drives the linking machine, which latter may be turned by hand by the operator for working requirements, simultaneously with the linking operation and the collocation of the fabric meshes on the points of the crown.

3. An improvement in knitted fabric machines according to claim 1, including a horizontal rigid arm, gyratory at will around the shaft of the machine, said arm terminating in an elbow in whose interior is localized the device that provokes the support of the anchor by comprising also a pulley solidly fixed to the central shaft which drives a pulley through an endless belt, said pulley solidly fixed to the tubular body which gyrates on the shaft in the supporting arm, said tubular body carrying an eccentric which moves the shaft in vertical oscillation around the shaft due to the roller, while the other eccentric drives the roller which produces limited gyration of the shaft resulting in the lateral displacement of the crochet; comprising also a lengthened tappet for holding the fabric against the points; comprising also a spring that provokes contact of the roller against the eccentric which effects the upward and downward displacement of the anchor; comprising also the device that moves the needle and driven from the central shaft through the ball-and-socket eccentric providing longitudinal displacement, while the eccentric drives the roller providing the needle with its lateral displacement; comprising also a pinion with vertical shaft and geared with another with horizontal shaft, both with teeth bevelled at 45 degrees, which provides the action of the synchronizing device between the needle and the points, which is initiated with the pinion that freely turns on the vertical shaft, beneath which pinion is located a fixed cup-shaped wheel with isosceles teeth between which penetrates a vertical pivot with an upper conical extremity which actuates as a locking pawl between the cited isosceles teeth; comprising also a flange fixed to the shaft provided with a coaxial slot in which slides the pivot solidly fixed to the bush which in turn is solidly fixed to the handwheel at its lower extremity, this assembly being pushed upward by a spiral spring within the bush against the shaft, so that when the handwheel is pulled downward, the pivot or pawl is drawn out from, or rather the conical point thereof, the respective tooth of the cup-shaped wheel, thus allowing the handwheel to be turned to situate the points crown at the desired spot, the needle with the points being automatically synchronized upon the handwheel being left free, and the conical point of the locking pawl penetrates in the pertinent tooth; comprising also a horizontal shaft of the worm screw behind the wheel which said shaft freely actuates together with the wheel; comprising also a cam at the extremity of the shaft against which cam presses an intermobilc lever, Whose opposite inside extremity terminates with a notch that engages with the flange that is provided with a loosely mounted sleeve on the outside of the bush; comprising also a toothed pinion solidly fixed to the upper extremity of the vertical shaft, which gears with the interior toothed crown of the crown body itself, the handwheel; comprising also a support, solidly fixed to the interior cylindrical body, for supporting the synchronizing device.

4. An improvement in knitted fabric linking machines according to claim 1, including a circular curved reflector for housing a luminous tubular focus to illuminate the working zone of the points crown; comprising also a cylindrical conical support for holding the cylindrical body of the crown, whose lower part is provided with an annular curved tray for holding the fabric under treatment; comprising also a handwheel solidly fixed to the bottom of the central shaft, to facilitate the different operations of preparation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,481,450 9/ 1949 Schwartz 112-25 3,007,425 11/ 1961 Darandik 112-25 3,153,393 10/1964 De Spain 112-25 3,219,003 11/1965 Darandik 112-25 3,316,866 5/1967 Shelton 112-25 3,316,869 5/1967 Shelton 112-25 X MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

